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Friday, October 12, 2012

Review: Crewel

CREWEL (Crewel World #1)
Gennifer Albin
Young Adult/Dystopian
368 pages
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Available October 16th
Received from publisher for review

THE STORYIncapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted
with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the
Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a
Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal
beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the
power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what
people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price
of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now
she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to
listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid
jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

MY THOUGHTSCrewel is an utterly fascinating story, presenting us with a world that is literally woven together with threads created from a few raw materials and a great deal of imagination. With a select group of people in charge of every single aspect of life in Arras – from marriage, to food production, to death itself – the world should be perfect; no famine, sickness, or discord to act as blemishes on the flawless skin of utopia. What we quickly see in just a few chapters is how flawed the beauty of Arras truly is, and while we’re initially entranced by the possibility of such perfection through complete and unyielding control, our hearts and minds swiftly shift our allegiance, finding the discontent and the defiance of the few far more intriguing than the promise of a perfect life worse than death.

Young heroine Adelice is a girl with a bit of bite to her, openly fighting her fate once her parents lead by example, and unleashing a dry sense of humor and quick wit on those who are used to nothing other than blind obedience. In a world where women are both the most powerful and least powerful members of society – either manipulating the fabric of Arras as Spinsters to ensure the survival of life as everyone knows it, or relegated to more menial jobs where they can dutifully serve the men around them with little opportunity to move up in the world – Adelice proves that there’s a middle ground between these opposite ends of the spectrum. She’s intelligent and determined, not content to sit idly by as her purpose in life is dictated to her, instead she’s always ready to reach out and grab the threads that make up her existence and create something new and extraordinary.

The romance is an appealing one despite the presence of a mild love triangle, Adelice proving she’s not the type of girl to fall in love quickly despite having been segregated from boys her own age her entire life. While there are two boys who take a shine to her, there’s no real competition between them, the interactions between her and one young man possessing a genuineness absent from those between her and the second boy and all the more fascinating for it. Their romance isn’t necessarily one that forces the air from our lungs like a punch to the gut, but it is thrumming with potential, and seeing where things go for them from the conclusion of Crewel will be a pleasure.

Overall, Crewel is an extraordinarily rich story, complex characters and a complex world (at times mind-bendingly complex) combining to keep us riveted to each and every page until we unfortunately reach an inevitable end. The more we think on the implications of a world where a person’s life is ended with one rip of a thread from a larger tapestry, the more intrigued we become, pushing ourselves to ask and answer difficult questions about what we might do were we in Adelice’s place. When offered option A or option B, Adelice choices option C every single time, always introducing a little beautiful chaos to the horrifyingly exquisiteness of Arras’s status quo, and I can’t wait to see what beauty she creates from discord next.

54 comments:

Awww! That was such an refreshing and awesome read! The descriptions were phenomenal and unbelievable beautiful. Just like you it took me some time to really grasps the book and details, that's why we needed this inital long and rather slow phase. But, in the end - the book was mesmerizing!

I didn't like so much the Love Triangle, but more because I love both boys and I hate when one looses ;((

I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! It didn't work out for me and while I was glad that the love triangle wasn't too empowering, I couldn't connect very well with Adelice and wasn't impressed with the setting either. I guess I've read one too many dystopians... Wonderful review though, dear! I'm curious to see what you think of the sequel now! :)

This world hurt my head when I thought about it too much, but it was so, so cool. I loved the whole Fate element to it, and how Adelice and the other Spinsters could simply snip threads and end life. Very creepy.

I have seen this book around a lot lately, but I wasn't quite sure what to think. After reading your review, I have a better idea about the premise and it does sound promising. I like that you describe the setting as being a complex world. I wouldn't mind getting lost in a dystopia right about now. I haven't read one lately. Great review, Jenny!

If you're looking for a complex world, stop your search. This is it:) It's a lot to try and wrap your mind around, but I really liked that about it. It was a challenge at times and that kept me on my toes.

I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed this book, Jenny! I really like the premise of this book, and the cover is really gorgeous too! <3 It's a relief that the romance, although triangle one, is not something that takes over the whole story. :)

I loved how the romance was worked in - it was definitely a more subtle element. It would have been too much if the romance had been a bigger focus with how complicated the world itself was. There would have been too many balls in play for me at that point and I would have dropped some, but she kept it as a secondary element and I loved that.

I've read mixed reviews about this one. It sounds as if the world building was a bit too complex for some and the main character wasn't easy relate-able. I'm curious about it myself, particularly a character who thinks outside of the box!

The world is definitely complex, and that will probably be the biggest challenge for most people. I really liked Adelice, I thought she was feisty and I love heroines who make their own path instead of traveling one created for them:)

Mild love triangle? Well I can handle that...I have been looking for a out of the box storyline. The insta- love and triangles are annoying the crap out of me lately or maybe its cause I just read a book that was so bad with the insta-love I wanted to light it on fire.....

She's easily attracted to both boys, but definitely not insta-love. She knows she's not in love with them, and it's clear she's far more attracted to one over the other. And this one is definitely out of the box, loved it:)

Ahhh! Mary reviewed this book recently and it sounded really good! I'm glad you addressed the not-really love triangle, as that would have been the one thing to stop me from picking up this book. (But from the sound of it, it's not even an issue and I should be fine.)

I'm not a fan of love triangles. I'm over them. Give me just one solid relationship please! However, this one was never a true triangle it didn't seem to me, she had a clear preference so I was okay with it:)

Brilliant review as always, Jenny! I heard so many things about this book and most of them are good. The world-building seems like very imaginative and complex but seems like something I would like to explore. Adelice seems like a tough character too and I'm excited to meet her. So glad you enjoyed this, Jenny. :)

I have been seeing some phenomonel reviews for this book! I wish my TBR wasn't so overwhelming at the moment cause I definitely want to read this! It just sounds so completely unique! I have heard some say that they didn't mind the love triangle (or that it barely existed) and others were really disappointed in it. So I'm a bit curious about how much it'll bother me.

Curious when the premise is about someone NOT wanting to be in control of others. Now hearing that the characters are so complex makes me really want to read this one and explore this world. Oh yea... you got me interested in this one!

I love the cover of this, all the colors are so pretty =) This sounds like a really interesting premise, glad to hear that the mind bending complexity of this didn't keep you from enjoying it! I've read some books that I wasn't even sure what happened in the end they were so confusing but I still loved them, haha. Great review!

Very mild love triangle (it's like it was in there but then the editors or author or beta readers said, um, no to a more serious triangle. Thank goodness). Gorgeous world. Awesome characters. Such a pretty cover!

I completely agree with everything you said on your review, Jenny! I think the concept behind Crewel is really fascinating and unique like you said. The romance is appealing and I do adore Adelice as a heroine!

This sounds so great! I didn't have any idea what this was about from the summary so I wasn't interested in reading it but reading the reviews, sounds like something I absolutely want to read. Wonderful review! I want this one right now! But with that cover, I want the book, not on my Kindle.

This was definitely a unique read...and very imaginative yet "mid bending" as you put it. I had trouble believing the whole concept. And I think that the love triangle annoyed me a bit more than it did you...but the other aspects of the novel more than made up for it.

Jenny, your review is so eloquent and beautiful and lushly exquisite and I can't express it enough! I had mixed feelings about this book beforehand because of some negative reviews I read and the overall unappealing premise, but your review blew that out of the water! I eagerly anticipate reading this one now. :)

I'm so glad we share similar thoughts on this one! I agree that the world was sometimes mind-bendingly complex, but I loved the challenge of trying to visualise it all. After the way things ended too, I'm really looking forward to the next book. :)

I am so glad you loved this one, Jenny! I have been really looking forward to it from the moment I read that BIZARRE synopsis, so I was hoping it would turn out well. I'm all for mind-bendingly complex as it is absolutely what drew me to this one in the first place. But it's certainly a huge bonus that you thought so highly of the MC! Thank you for this insightful review, Jenny!!

I'm curious to read this complex, mind-blowing book! I can't wait to discover the world of Arran for myself and how people live under strict control. Adelice sounds like an amazing character... you had me when you said she has 'bite'! I'm glad to hear she doesn't try to fit into the society.

Glad you loved this, Jenny <3 I've missed reading your beautiful reviews - school has taken over my life :'(

I'm currently a few pages in - & Crewel starts off as a different book than most YA/Dystopian with societies ruled by an iron fist. It is different. I hope I like it as much as you did!Beautiful review, specially liked this - "When offered option A or option B, Adelice choices option C every single time, always introducing a little beautiful chaos to the horrifyingly exquisiteness of Arras’s status quo"

I've read a lot of mixed reviews about this book, so I really appreciated reading your well-thought-out positive review of Crewel. It sounds as though the book possesses elements that are capable of making the bored dystopian reader in me cringe or roll my eyes, but it also sounds as though there are some truly unique and interesting elements that it offers. And I love how you say that Adelice's choice create beauty from chaos. I want to read it to find out what that means!

I've seen mixed reviews for this one, Jenny, but I really like the way you've described it. Adelice also sounds like a heroine I could root for, and I like that she doesn't fall in love quickly. Oh, and I think it's cool that in the world of Arras that women are both powerful and not powerful. Great review, Jenny!

Oh, I was so excited for this book! Your review makes it sound so amazing but the fact that there is a love triangle, no matter how minor, really gets me. It's just, how about NO love triangle? Anyways, I'm glad it worked for you Jenny!